- A Florida jury awarded a group of 27 Costa Rican leatherleaf fern farmers about $113 million in mid-May for lost profits over the last 15 years due to damage to their crops caused by the fungicide Benlate® (benomyl). The lawyer for the growers argued that benomyl itself (not contamination) eliminates the natural microorganisms on the plants and allows a entry to a certain bacterium which in significant amounts causes growth regulator-type damage to the plants, nearly half of which are unsaleable. Dupont has spent about $2 billion to settle cases or pay damages that have been awarded. The company settled 30 cases last year but still has dozens pending. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 5/22/06).
- LifeScience North America Corp., Cary, NC and BASF Corp. have announced that they have completed a transaction in which Arysta acquired from BASF major assets of Micro Flo. The acquisition will significantly broaden Arysta’s portfolio and create a strategic position in the U.S. crop protection industry. (Citrus & Vegetable Magazine, May 2006).
- The EPA is trying to determine whether silver used in a new type of washing machine to kill bacteria should be regulated as a pesticide. In information posted on its website, maker Samsung states its SilverCare® washing machine injects “over 100 quadrillion silver ions” into the wash and rinse cycle. Both California and Colorado regulators are pressing the Agency to regulate the silver as disinfectants and make sure they do not impact aquatic organisms. The company contends that the release would amount to 0.001 part per million silver per 100 washloads. Since silver does not break down and is bioaccumulative, a number of regulatory agencies have worries. The pesticide registration coordinator for Colorado said that the EPA had already classified the machine as a “pesticide device” and that it should be considered a “co-pack,” meaning it would be considered both a pesticide device and a pesticide. (Chemical Regulation Reporter, 5/22/06).
- The first ever monoclonal antibody obtained from transgenic plants with the purpose of purifying a human vaccine has been registered with Cuban authorities, meaning cigars may not be the only application the country’s tobacco is used for in the future. The country's official news agency reported the antibody is used in the process of purifying the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of the Hepatitis B vaccine produced in Cuba by Havana's Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center (CIGB), sold under the trademark of Heberbiovac-HB. The CIGB scientists say obtaining the antibody from genetically modified tobacco plants has advantages over the traditional process of starting from the ascitic liquid of the mouse due to higher levels of safety and production. They also stress that tobacco plantations that are genetically modified have nothing to do with the commercial strains of that plant and that the CIGB has taken appropriate actions to avoid possible risks to the environment when cultivating engineered strains. Whether proteins in milk, polyclonal antibodies in eggs or digestive enzymes in corn, the potential of transgenic animals and plants for the cheap and efficient production of biopharmaceuticals is huge, potentially leading to sales of more than $12 billion by 2012 according to market research firm Kalorama. (ISB via Agnet, 6/15/06).
- Based on a first-of-its-kind analysis, insect “services” amount to over $57 billion when focused on three areas: wildlife nutrition ($50 billion), pest control ($4.5 billion), and pollination ($3 billion). Using published data, the authors compared the values of each service at current levels to theoretical levels if these services were absent. For pest control, they looked at the amount of damage now incurred by pests. Applying the assumption that 65 percent of pests are controlled by other insects, they calculated the losses if predators or parasites weren’t going after pestiferous prey. Surprisingly, there was no value placed on dung burial. (The Grower, June 2006).
- Many government and activist groups are currently funding or proposing biomonitoring projects. Two scientists have put forth a challenge in the April 26 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives that the programs be put into context before people are allowed to consent to give samples or participate in a program. They stated that certainty in the levels of a chemical in body samples does not make the results useful in themselves. Other information, such as the links between the chemical and disease are needed. Most of the chemicals measured by biomonitoring have not been linked to adverse effects. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 5/8/06).
- “The U.S. and other complainants did not challenge the EU’s regulatory framework on GMOs, which is rooted in science-based risk assessment. Nothing in this panel report will compel us to change that framework. Europe will continue to set its own rules on the import and sale of GMO foods.” (Peter Power, EC Commission spokesman via Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 5/29/06).
- After his group’s failing of an attempt at destroying seeds at Monsanto’s factory in southwest France in early May, Jose Bove announced in mid-June that he is ready to run for president in France’s 2007 election as a candidate for the anti-free market, ecological left. Bove, often nicknamed Asterix after the famous moustachioed Gallic comic hero holding out against the Roman occupiers, said he hoped to rally voters on the far left with policies focusing on workers' rights and the environment. (Reuters, 5/5/06 & 6/14/06).
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